Assorted Ebony Le Cadeau Goodfellow Nicolas-Jay Lingua Franca Pinot Noir Tasting Lot

“Bright ruby. Sexy, expressive aromas of blackberry, cherry-cola and potpourri, complicated by vanilla and spicecake nuances. Fleshy and supple in texture, with deep red and dark berry preserve flavors given lift by gentle acidity. Picks up chewy but harmonious tannins with air and finishes long, with a sweet note of candied dark berries. This is the new project of Chris Mazepink, who was winemaker at Shea Wine Cellars through 2008. (JR)” (07/2011)

“The 2009 Pinot Noir Olenik Vineyard reveals a similar dark-fruited personality with ample spicy fruit and savory flavors. (JM)” (10/2011)

“The 2011 Rocheaux Reserve comes 50% from the Pommard clone and 50% from 777 and sees 20% new oak for 19 months. The nose is quite Volnay-like in style with red plum, cranberry and pomegranate scents that feel rounded and generous. The palate is medium-bodied with sappy red fruit on the entry, a pleasant saline tincture, with a touch of spice toward the finish. Good body here and nicely controlled alcohol, the length satisfactory, but needing a little more complexity that may develop in bottle. (NM)” (03/2015)

“Pale to medium ruby in color, the 2015 Pinot Noir Heritage No. 4 opens with spiced blackberry, blackcurrant and black cherries on the nose with a lovely spicy core—candied citrus peel, wood smoke, fresh tobacco leaves, potpourri and cola—with earthy notions of dried leaves and underbrush. Light to medium-bodied, it fills the mouth with black fruit flavors and is just packed with spice and earthy notions, with a firm frame of grainy tannins and great freshness, finishing long. (EB)” (08/2018)

“Lurid red. Vibrant, spice-tinged red fruit and candied rose scents, along with suggestions of blood orange and smoky minerals. Taut and well-delineated on the palate, offering juicy bitter cherry and red currant flavors that slowly deepen and turn sweeter with air. Fine-grained tannins come in slowly on a very long, precise finish that strongly echoes the red berry and spice notes. (from the Whistling Ridge vineyard; two-thirds whole clusters and 50% new French oak) (JR)” (02/2019)

“Shimmering ruby-red. Heady, spice- and mineral-accented cherry and blue fruit liqueur aromas take on incense and floral accents with air. Juicy, seamless and concentrated, offering densely packed black raspberry, boysenberry and cherry liqueur flavors that show sharp delineation and smoky back-end thrust. Finishes extremely long and lively, with resonating blue fruit, mineral and floral notes and polished tannins that make a late appearance. 50% new oak. (JR)” (08/2020)

“Very attractive aromas of violet flowers and blueberries sit in a fresh array of earth and spice complexity. The palate has a sleek and fluid build with a very polished core of fresh, fine tannin. Blueberries and plums to close. A steep, close-planted, own-rooted parcel, planted in 1988. Drink or hold.” (05/2019)

“Refined and keenly focused, with distinctive cherry and guava flavors that are laced with rose petal and savory spice accents, picking up tension and polish toward fine-grained tannins. Drink now through 2027. (TF)” (03/2021)

“Superb berry explosion combines with notes of wild herbs, liquorice, bonfire and sweet spices. Silky textured with exceptional purity of fruit. Panel Tasting.” (10/2019)

“Saturated, vivid red. A highly perfumed bouquet displays spice- and mineral-accented red and blue fruit preserve, incense, potpourri and licorice scents and a hint of freshly turned earth. Alluringly sweet and expansive in the mouth, offering concentrated boysenberry, black raspberry, exotic spice and lavender pastille flavors that show impressive litheness for their depth. Polished tannins emerge slowly on a strikingly long finish that leaves juicy dark berry and five-spice powder notes behind. 50% whole clusters; 26% new French oak. (JR)” (02/2022)

“The fruit for this wine comes from Hopewell, Mimi Casteel’s meticulously farmed vineyard. Larry Stone and his winemaker, Thomas Savre, include about 50 percent whole clusters in the fermentation, and that—plus the wild and vibrant fruit character that Casteel encourages through regenerative agriculture—results in pinot noir of exotic aromatics, profound depth and exceptional concentration. Scents of thyme and lavender, humus, bergamot and smoke overlay a wine deep in dark-berry flavor with an intensity that assures a long life ahead. (PJC)” (10/2021)

“Mimi Casteel's Hopewell Vineyard is the source for this complex and detailed wine. An aromatic weave of bee pollen, wild berry and rose opens into a balanced palate. Those scents turn into flavors, along with cherries and a seam of root beer. (PG)” (03/2021)

“Medium ruby, the 2018 Pinot Noir Mimi's Mind has broody aromas of blackberries laced with earth, aniseed and classy whole-cluster spice. The palate is medium-bodied, black-fruited, glossy and ultra fresh with a lovely dichotomy of bright freshness lifting the long finish. (EB)” (12/2020)

“Aromas of wild blackberries, redcurrants and tea leaves with floral undertones. It’s medium-bodied with crunchy tannins. Juicy and textured with bright acidity and spicy character. Vibrant and focused. Drink or hold.” (08/2021)

“Tense and vibrant, with a steely core of acidity and tannins framed by bright cherry and cranberry flavors that gather in tension and tight tannins. Needs time. (TF)” (03/2021)

“Medium-intensity garnet. Very rich and intense on the nose. Positively heady. If this were in Burgundy, you would take it for a grand cru wine. The price seems perfectly reasonable! Beautiful poise as well as all that flavour. Wonderful depth and nuance of flavour. (JR)” (10/2021)